Italian journalist killed as conditions deteriorate in Thailand

May 19, 2010 3:42 PM ET

New York, May 19, 2010—Freelance Italian photojournalist Fabio Polenghi was killed and three international journalists were among dozens ofpeopleinjured today during clashes in Bangkok, according to international news reports. The fighting followed a military operation to clear an area occupied for six weeks by anti-government protesters. Demonstrators attacked and threatened local media outlets for perceived government bias in the ensuing disorder, while officials ordered that TV stations air only government-issued news bulletins, the reports said.

Thai troops using live ammunition broke through barricades
erected by the “Red Shirt” protesters around the makeshift camp before dawn and
announced they had gained control of the area nine hours later, according to
The Associated Press. Polenghi, 45, who had been on assignment in Thailand
for three months for a European magazine, was shot in the stomach and died at a
local hospital, according to AP. The magazine was not identified in the report.
A Dutch, a Canadian, and an American journalist were also wounded during the
clashes, according to international news reports.

Groups of protesters torched several buildings and targeted
news outlets they said were biased towards the government. The offices of the
state-run Channel 3 TV station were set afire with staff still inside, trapping
around 100 employees on the roof until they were rescued by helicopter, Reuters
reported. Other media outlets, including the Bangkok Post and the Nation
newspapers,received threats from
protesters and evacuated their offices, according to news reports. Thai
authorities censored independent news broadcasts,ordering TV stations to air only officially sanctioned reports,
and imposed a 10-hour curfew starting at 8 p.m. in an attempt to restore order,
the reports said.

“Fabio Polenghi is the second journalist to die covering
this unrest,” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. “This raises serious
concerns about the awareness of both security forces and protest
organizers of their obligation to ensure the safety of journalists. The Thai
authorities must investigate this latest tragic death in an independent and
timely manner to determine those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Local media said Chandler Vandergrift, a freelance Canadian
writer and photographer, was seriously hurt in a grenade attack, according to
AP. Dutch journalist Michel Maas was being treated in a local hospital for a
gunshot wound to the shoulder he received while reporting for Dutch national
TV, according to Agence France-Presse. An unnamed American documentary
filmmaker was been shot in the leg, news reports said.

CPJ is investigating the death of a Japanese journalist, Reuters
cameraman Hiro Muramoto,
who was shot and killed during armed conflict between the government and
protesters on April 10. Three other journalists were shot and injured on May
14. CPJ’s full Thailand
coverage is available online.

CPJ condemns 15-day ban on Thai TV news station

February 13, 2019 11:43 AM ET

Bangkok, February 13, 2019--The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the decision by a Thai media regulator to suspend the broadcasting license of Voice TV for 15 days and called on the country's military government to allow all media to report freely on the nation's politics....

CPJ calls on Thailand to account for missing Vietnamese blogger

February 6, 2019 12:15 PM ET

Bangkok, February 6, 2019--The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Thai authorities to investigate the disappearance of Vietnamese blogger Truong Duy Nhat, publicly report on that investigation's findings, and take all measures to ensure that the journalist has not been illegally abducted or detained....

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Thai authorities shut down foreign press club event on Myanmar

September 11, 2018 12:50 PM ET

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Thai columnist Pravit Rojanaphruk charged with two cases of sedition

August 8, 2017 12:01 PM ET

Washington, D.C., August 8, 2017--Thai authorities should immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Pravit Rojanaphruk, a columnist at the news website Khaosod English, and allow the journalist to work freely and without further harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....